Although all the signs given by Jesus and others that reference the end of this age are present right now, this is not the time to sit back and do nothing. Satan and his minions are working harder than ever to draw as many souls away from Christ as possible. He knows his time is extremely short, but he’s determined to cause as much damage as possible. Our main goal is to prepare people everywhere to accept Jesus before He calls all true believers Home. (all emphasis mine)

There are two future times when Satan will be allowed to create total havoc upon the earth. One will be throughout the 7-year tribulation/wrath, and the other will be at the very end of the Millennial Reign of Jesus on earth. After that, his fate is sealed as given in Revelation 20:10; “and the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever.”

As stated, he joins the beast and false prophet who are the first occupants there. Revelation 19:20; “And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast; and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.” This is at the very end of the 7-year tribulation.

After this, Jesus will physically be on this earth to rule for 1,000 years. Revelation 20:1-3 tells us where Satan will be during that time. “Then I saw an angel coming down from Heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit, and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit and shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while.”

You would think that without Satan on earth to draw people away from Jesus, there would no longer be any sin. After all, Jesus, one-third of the Holy Trinity, will be here in person all through that time.

However, God knows human weakness and our willingness to be deceived and follow evil rather than Jesus. Just to get an idea of how Satan will be influential even though bound in the pit, Revelation 20:7-8 states, “and when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.”

Somehow, Satan will convince a large mass of people that they can win a battle against Jesus, who will be in Jerusalem. Verse 9 of Revelation 20 states that “fire came down from Heaven and consumed them.” This group and all who rejected God’s will prior to Calvary, and those who refused to receive and accept Jesus from Calvary to the end of the Millennial Reign, will go to the Great White Throne Judgment. Once and for all, evil will be removed entirely, and all who became part of Jesus’ flock will spend eternity with Him in Paradise.

Our quest right now, this very day, should be to follow the Savior’s great commission and to spread the Gospel (Good News) as far around the world as possible. Not everyone will be a major evangelist, and not everyone has the resources to travel and reach all parts of the world. However, each of us should live as 1 Peter 3:15 states; “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as Holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”

Our Heavenly Father does not force us to accept Jesus but gives everyone the privilege to have free will to be saved or lost. Unlike what false prophets are proclaiming, there are no other choices or options. Neither should we, as followers of Jesus, be rude and forceful in our efforts to present Jesus to others.

There are probably those who believe we’re so close to being taken off this earth that now is the time to just sit back and wait. We don’t know the day nor the hour, but in a number of parables, Jesus spoke about “working” until He actually comes. This doesn’t mean “works” by which we can earn our Salvation, or buy a ticket to Heaven due to any effort on our part. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us it’s by Grace through Faith that we’ve been saved. However, once we truly have Jesus in our hearts, it’s only natural that we would want to honor Him by sharing His word with others. That could be with thousands, hundreds, or even just one person – whatever opportunity presents itself.

What a wonderful experience it would be if we were in the middle of presenting God’s word when the trumpet of God sounds, and a shout from an archangel signals that the Rapture is taking place! At that instant, we won’t have time to get further prepared. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that it will be “in the twinkling of an eye,” which scientists a whole lot more educated than I estimate this will be considerably less than one second.

In Paul’s first epistle that he wrote (1 Thessalonians), he describes the Rapture in Chapter 4 verses 13-17. Then if we go to 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, we get more information. Even though there are numerous organized evangelical groups that do not present God’s word about taking up all believers to meet Jesus in the air to avoid the tribulation, it’s right there in His word for all to see.

Our Heavenly Father did not give us the Holy Spirit-inspired writings of about 40 people to just fill pages in a book. This is no fantasy novel. When He says He will keep all believers from the Wrath/Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 and Revelation 3:10), that is a covenant that He will not break.

If the word of the Father is foolishness, as some believe (1 Corinthians 1:18), He would never have sent Jesus to be our only sacrifice for our sins that He could accept. He absolutely would not have sent Jesus to go through the agony of crucifixion if He were not serious about our souls. He loves us that much and more.

Whether today, tomorrow, a week, or even months from now – when, not if – the Harpazo or Rapture takes place, would you not love to hear the words from Our Savior, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”? Even if it’s only praying for the needs of others, Our Savior told us to love one another as well as to love His Father. He just wants us to use our talents we have been blessed with to serve Him.

If we have the Son, we have the Father. If we do not have the Son, we do not have the Father. This is given specifically in John 3:18 and 1 John 1:5-12, just as a couple of examples.

The world may hate us, just as Jesus said it would, but I’d rather be hated by man than fall out of favor with our Heavenly Father. The day is coming that to proclaim Jesus as our Savior anywhere in this world will cause a person to be martyred.

Wouldn’t you really want to escape that time? Romans 10:9-13 gives the simple steps to Salvation, and Romans 8:1 is our promise that if we have Jesus, we are not condemned by the Father. Today would not be too early to call on Him as your Savior. Tomorrow could be a completely different situation.

Our Savior is always there to hear our confession and to grant our request that He be our Savior. From that moment on, the Holy Spirit will come and reside in you. This opportunity is for everyone worldwide to receive or reject. Once we are a part of the Savior’s precious flock, our sins – my sins – will be totally forgiven, and for the Father, they will be removed from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), The hardest part for us is to have the Faith and Believe this is so. Just remember, God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

Accept the gift that is being offered while you still can. After someone takes their last breath here, their eternity is set, and there is no provision to be saved after that. Have the peace of mind to know your eternity will be wonderful.

Come, Lord Jesus! (Maranatha!)

huebshman46@gmail.com

 

 

Summary: When we stop to meditate on the first verse of Holy Scripture, we see not only the majesty and power of Almighty God in action, but if we look deeper, we also see the beginnings of scientific thought and the real explanation for the origin of life and the universe.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, KJV).

Stop and think how powerful and wondrous these opening words of Holy Scripture are in terms of the work, thought, and exactness of Almighty God.

You are probably saying to yourself, “Well, of course. The Bible is not going to present any other explanation of where everything originated. It’s a book of miracles, divine encounters, instruction, and comfort for the soul, but it’s not a book of science. We have a better grip on our origins in this day and age. Science gives us a better way of understanding data, the need and value of experimentation, the use of forensics, the discovery of fossils and skeletal remains of extinct animal and plant life, mathematical laws, and other areas of discovery and analysis.”

I am not going to criticize or demean the importance of scientific work or dismiss the contributions that scientists have made in the progress of civilization. Without science, we would not have the necessities and luxuries we take for granted. Without science, we would have no idea of how things work or how to make things better or invent new products and ideas. Science and all worthwhile subjects are a wonderful gift from God to use to strengthen our capability for thinking and satisfy our curiosity, and to give Him the glory for giving us the opportunity to do so. Johannes Kepler, a pioneer in the field of astronomy, stated that “science is thinking God’s thoughts after Him.” I see no reason to question his observation or conclusion.

All science and mathematics, history, languages, astronomy, biology, botany, physiology, geology, economics, theology, government, chemistry, physics, art, music, politics, the laws of nature, and intimacy with God begin with the first verse of the Bible. The argument of randomness, survival of the fittest, macroevolutionary development, and natural selection is interesting to hear and read about. However, after my personal study and analysis of this theory, I cannot embrace an idea of origins without any real meaning, purpose, standards, absolutes, or ultimate goals and satisfactory objectives that such a worldview proposes and, in most cases, demands that I accept without question or skepticism.

All right, I can just hear some of your comments, especially from those of you who believe that science and a belief in God cannot be reconciled, or that because I am a follower of Jesus Christ that I have, in your mind, cast all rationality and logical thinking aside to embrace an outdated, irresponsible, ignorant, and childish supernatural explanation of how everything came into being. Rest assured that I do not care what you think about me. “Let God be true and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).

You are probably approaching this from a preconceived prejudice that some teacher, peer, or scientist has put before you that has made you dismiss any explanations for life other than naturalistic. Here’s a word of advice: don’t let other people do your thinking for you. You may have studied varied authors and read material that brought you to a point of honest skepticism, and I can respect that conclusion.

If you have decided that any mention or talk of religious thought, the existence of God, or that the account spoken of in Genesis is not worth your time to even consider — and you would rather ridicule, mock, get upset or angry at what I am presenting, or just want to argue to make yourself look like you are an intellectual and write me off — then stop here and go visit another site. Otherwise, swallow your pride, continue reading, and open your mind. The world does not revolve around your opinion or attitude.

Let us say for the sake of argument that what the Bible describes about the origins of the universe just might be a true and sensible answer. Scientific thinking should allow for all points of view to be considered, to approach all theories and hypotheses objectively, and to come to a satisfactory conclusion, does it not? How do the authors of the Scriptures see the universe and our world? They deserve a say at the table. What harm will it do you to read about it?

The subject of creation starts with the assumption and/or belief that a Being outside time, space, and matter designed a precise, orderly, exact, logical, goal-oriented, rationally functioning, expanding universe and world for a reason and purpose. All the natural laws of the universe were put into place, along with the principles of cause and effect.

The following Biblical verses describe the creation of the universe and humanity. I invite you to look them up for yourself and seriously think on the possibility that what you are reading just might be the right answer:

1) God’s creation of the Universe is presented in:

• Genesis 1:1, 2:3;
• Exodus 20:11;
• Nehemiah 9:6;
• Job 12:9, 26:7, 13, 40:15;
• Psalm 24:2, 33:6, 95:5, 102:25, 104:5;
• Isaiah 40:12, 28, 45:12, 48:13;
• Acts 4:24, 7:50, 14:15, 17:24;
• Hebrews 1:10, 11:3

2) God’s creation of Humanity is presented in:

• Genesis 1:26, 3:7, 5:2;
• Deuteronomy 4:32, 32:6, 18;
• Job 4:7, 10:8, 31:15, 22, 33:4, 34:19;
• Psalm 8:5, 22:9, 71:6, 86:9, 94:9, 95:6, 100:3, 119:73, 139:13, 149:2;
• Proverbs 20:12, 22:2;
• Ecclesiastes 12:1, 7;
• Isaiah 19:25, 27:11, 29:23, 41:4, 42:5, 43:1, 7, 15, 44:2, 21; 45:12, 51:13, 54:16, 64:8;
• Jeremiah 1:5, 27:5;
• Zechariah 12:1;
• Malachi 2:10;
• Matthew 19:4;
• Mark 10:6;
• Luke 3:38, 11:40;
• Acts 7:26, 17:28;
• 1 Corinthians 11:12;
• 2 Corinthians 5;5;
• Galatians 1:15;
• Hebrews 2:7;
• 1 Peter 4:19

The Bible declares that it is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, the Second Member of the Trinity who created everything (John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1, 2).

Before I proceed any further, allow me to comment on the world’s criticism and hostility of what we believe as followers of Jesus Christ and His Word.

Quite frankly, I am sick and tired of having the church made to feel ashamed or embarrassed by the world, that what we read about in Genesis 1:1 is either a fable, myth, legend, or stories from ignorant, illiterate desert-dwelling nomads who had no other way to explain everything other than make up some magic deity who put this world together. Why do we allow anyone to make us feel embarrassed about the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16-17) and the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3)? I am fed up with every gutless and cowardly pastor, teacher, writer, scholar, or critic who keeps pounding into our heads that what the Bible teaches cannot be the truth concerning our beginnings (Isaiah 5:20-21).

I refuse to play that game. I will not and shall not ever allow this fallen world system to tell me what I can and cannot believe, study, consider, or conclude about God and His Word in order to please, placate, or look relevant and trendy to people who hate God and everything He stands for in the first place (1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 1John 2:15).

Unlike most people today, I have a backbone, and I fear no one except God. What about you? Are you going to allow your own or some other skeptic’s opinions keep you away from the claims of the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ? Eternal hell is not worth allowing anyone to deter you from considering that what the Bible teaches just might be true.

If what I read about Genesis 1:1 is not true, then what I read about Jesus Christ and His mission of redeeming fallen humanity from the obvious sins and wickedness we flaunt at every opportunity is not true either. The Russian novelist Feodor Dostoyevsky stated that if God does not exist, then everything is permissible. Any hope for satisfactory punishment of any criminal and justice for their victims is merely a fantasy that ends in the grave, and they get off scot-free with no accountability or consequences. The good are not rewarded or recognized, and the noble have wasted their time and talents on causes that end up forgotten in oblivion. We are all consigned to an eternity with no joy, hope, love, compassion, empathy, or rescue (Judges 21:25; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19).

The mantra of ‘reasoning” is shouted from the housetops of unbelievers, but their foundations are built upon sand. Whose reasoning? Why should I adopt your means of thinking if you change your mind or refute what you taught or promoted? Why should I trust mere “rationality” if there is no moral or ethical standard by which to measure it? If all we have is our own limited thoughts and nothing else, then everything is allowed and a case of your opinion versus mine. I cannot live with that kind of premise, and neither can you if you’re honest. The Bible teaches otherwise.

Real thinking is from God (Isaiah 1:18), and so is His offer of grace, mercy, and forgiveness for your sins through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, who took our sins upon Himself and paid for them with His death and resurrection in order that we may be redeemed before God and allowed into His heaven and presence for eternity. Only Jesus Christ can rescue you from the mess and death of this world. Only He can provide you true peace with God (John 3:16, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:6-11, 6:23, 10:9-10).

I implore you to repent of your sins and surrender your life to Jesus Christ today (2 Corinthians 6:2). God is in the business of making all things new, and He is ready to do the same for you. Don’t let anyone tell you to mock or ignore what has been presented here (Hebrews 9:27).

Again, let God be true and every man a liar. Your eternal destiny rides on what you will do with Jesus.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com